Mass Effect: The Aftermath
by Selena Shepard
Summary: The Crucible has fired, the Reapers are gone and Commander Shepard is living a life she never thought she'd live. A different ending to ME3 and a small glimpse at the future. Focuses on Shakarian romance. ( First story i've written, please bare with me)


My Mass Effect 3 Ending

(Romance: Garrus)

Shepard: Best seats in the house.

Anderson: God… feels like years since I just… sat down…

Anderson and Shepard, gravely injured, are sitting down on the floor, watching the ward arms open, revealing the breath-taking sight of Earth. Anderson begins to close his eyes, slowly fading away.

Shepard: Anderson…

Anderson: (Groans)

Shepard: Stay with me.

Anderson: You did good, child. You did good. I'm…proud of you.

Anderson's head hangs, life beating no longer within him. Shepard, however has not yet noticed.

Shepard: Thank you, sir.

Shepard turns her head to look at him, only to see his dear friend no longer breathing. Her own life signs fading, she knows she hasn't much time either. Suddenly, she stars to hear a voice. Distant, but familiar. Worried. Calling her name.

: Shepard! Shepard, wake up! Please!

Slowly, Shepard awakens to find herself on the battlefield where Harbinger shot her. Gasping for air, she sits up, and someone's arms wrapped around her weak body.

?: Thank the Spirits!

Shepard: G-Garrus?

Garrus: how bad are you injured?

Shepard: As long as I breathe… (Cough)

Garrus: When I heard Major Coats say the force was defeated, I told Joker to turn the Normandy around. I should've been here with you.

Shepard: If I barely made it…

Still rummaging through her thoughts, she remember that Garrus was injured. Quickly, she looks up at him.

Shepard: Your injuries! What-

Garrus: Medi-gel. But, I had to come look for you. I couldn't leave you here. If you had…

Shepard caressed Garrus scarred side of his face. Then, she realized that what she went through was nothing but a dream, thus the Crucible was not yet activated.

Shepard: The Crucible! I have to…activate it!

Shepard tries to get up, only to fall back to the floor. If it wasn't for Garrus that caught her, she would have fallen face-first.

Garrus: You're too injured. Let someone else go.

Shepard knew had to be the one who saw it through. She didn't fight for three years just for her to not complete what she has sacrificed so much to accomplish. Once again she tries to get up, not falling this time.

Shepard: I have to… (Cough) Help any survivors you find.

Garrus: Shepard, don't! I'll go with you.

Shepard turns to look at him. His scarred, tired face looking into hers. She kisses him lightly on his mouth.

Shepard: I'll be back. I promise.

Garrus: I almost lost you. I'm not leaving you.

She knew there was no time to argue, and she did not have the strength to do so. Reluctantly, she lets Garrus accompany her to the beam. Once there, holding hands, they enter the beam.

After an extremely quick ride, they find themselves on the other side of the beam: the Citadel Tower. Shepard activates the controls, the same ones Saren wanted to use three years ago to release the Reapers, and opens the ward arms. Her surroundings don't look like those she dreamed. They look just like the last time she was up here.

Garrus: Quite a view, huh?

Shepard: Like in my dream.

Garrus: Dream?

Shepard begins explaining her dream to Garrus, the Illusive Man's death, Anderson's death, and her close call with death.

Shepard: Luckily, my Archangel brought me back from the brink of death.

Garrus: I'm glad I told Joker to come back, then. And, you're welcome.

As the Crucible begins to dock, Shepard makes a suggestion.

Shepard: I have a feeling that standing near a weapon of mass destruction while it's about to go off isn't the best of ideas.

Garrus: Hmm. I guess you're right.

Shepard: Come on, let's-

?: You're not going anywhere, Shepard.

Shepard quickly recognizes the voice and turns around to see a shape standing next to the beam.

Shepard: I was wondering where you had gone, Illusive Man.

Illusive Man: You can't destroy the Reapers.

Shepard: They're already dead, they just don't know it yet.

TIM: Shepard, destroying the Reapers gains us nothing. Think of the power humanity would achieve if we controlled them!

Shepard: It gains us peace! Now, if you want to stay up here when this thing fires, be my guest. I've told you before: You can join me or step aside, just don't get in my way.

TIM: We can control them, Shepard!

Shepard: That's what they _want _you to think. Somehow, you know they're controlling you. Fight it!

TIM: NO! You're wrong! We-I-

Shepard: See? That's the Reapers. They're letting you think you can control them, only to throw you aside in the end like a ragdoll.

TIM: That's…not…true.

Hackett over radio: Everyone, the Crucible is firing in one minute.

Shepard: Unless you want to get blown to kingdom come along with the Reapers-

TIM seems to relax, gaining control over his mind,

TIM: I… You're right, Shepard. But, they're still controlling me. Leave me. I have no salvation.

Hackett over radio: Thirty seconds.

Garrus: We gotta move!

Shepard and Garrus head to the beam and are instantaneously teleported back to Earth. They look up just in time to see the Crucible fire, taking the Citadel with it.

All the Reapers begin to perish as the crucible fire touches them, leaving ships and people untouched. The explosion reaches the mass relays, channeling the energy into all the systems, eradicating the Reapers in every station, every colony, every planet, all across the galaxy. The Geth somehow managed to remain unscathed by the explosion. Men and women all across the galaxy cheer as the Reapers fall, one by one, bringing the end of cycles, the end of the Reaper Threat.

Shepard: We did it.

Garrus: No, you did it.

Shepard: I couldn't have done it without the help of the famous Archangel.

Garrus: Yes you could have. Only…

He leans in and kisses her.

Garrus: …It wouldn't have been as fun.

Shepard: Ha. Very True. Come on, let's go. Where's the Normandy?

Joker over radio: Did someone call?

Joker arrives with the Normandy and brings her down near them. All the crew comes out to greet them, even an old friend.

?: I didn't think you'd make it.

Shepard: Have a little faith, Anderson.

Anderson: After what you just pulled off, I got all the faith in the galaxy.

Shepard: How'd you end up on the Normandy?

Anderson: Cortez found me while Garrus went looking for you. I was nearly as dead as you.

Looking down at her burnt armor and bloody arms, Shepard replies.

Shepard: Well, I'm damn luck to be in one piece.

Garrus: Speaking of which…

Garrus hands Shepard over to Dr. Chakwas.

Garrus: Dr. Chakwas, can you help her?

Dr. Chakwas: Shepard, you do enjoy getting beaten up after every mission, don't you?

Shepard: Not if I can help it.

Anderson: Shepard…

Shepard turns around to face Anderson and he salutes her. She returns the gesture.

Anderson: I'm proud of you, kid. And so is every living being in the galaxy. Now, go get some rest.

Shepard: Thank you, sir.

Everyone return to the Normandy as Joker powers it on. It then lifts off into the sky.

_**Epilogue**_

(One year later)

The Reapers are long since gone by the living legend Commander Shepard. As the galaxy tends to its wounds by rebuilding, Shepard lives a life she never thought she'd have.

Garrus: Hello there.

Shepard: (Groans) Go back to sleep.

Garrus: And this is the famous Commander Shepard that saved the galaxy? Hmmm…

Shepard: After doing that, I could quite happily stay asleep for another year.

Garrus: But what would your boyfriend do without you?

Shepard: Hmmm… Well, I wouldn't want you to go off with some turian, now would I?

Garrus: I don't think I'd be able to do that. Not with this beautiful sight next to me

Shepard: Ha.

Garrus leans in to kiss her, but is interrupted by a childish laughter.

?: Wake up, lazy heads!

Shepard: Hey! Who are you calling lazy?

Garrus: I'm going to take a wild guess and say…you.

When Vancouver was rebuilt, Shepard and Garrus adopted two children: a five-year-old human boy named Alexander, and a six-year-old turian girl named Selenus, though humans call her Selene to make her name sound more human-like.

Alexander: Can we eat already? I'm hungry.

Selenus: Me too!

Shepard: Alright, alright. I _suppose _you starving would be blamed on me.

Garrus: You know something, Shepard?

Shepard: Hmm?

Garrus: They're just like us.

Shepard: That they are. Just as strong, beautiful, and annoying. Exactly like us.

Alexander playfully hits Shepard, though him being a little boy, it felt more like a breeze passed through Shepard's arm. She, however, embellishes.

Shepard: OW! My arm, it bleeds!

The children couldn't help but laugh at Shepard's little act and, to Shepard's amusement, neither could Garrus.

Shepard: Well, let's go get breakfast, shall we?

Everybody heads for the kitchen. Once there, Alexander and Selenus take a seat while Shepard and Garrus cook. Since Shepard is levo and Garrus dextro, Shepard cooks for Alex and Garrus cooks for Selenus.

Garrus: You remember what day it is?

Shepard: Monday.

Garrus: And?

Shepard: June?

Garrus: You don't remember, do you?

Shepard: I'm afraid I'd rather not remember the day I almost died, along with the galaxy.

Garrus: Can you believe that it's been a year already? A year ago we were dodging bullets and death. But, now…

He turns around to look at the children, which were playing rock-paper-reaper.

Shepard: Sigh. Yeah, it's hard to believe. Luckily, fifty thousand years from now, people won't have to worry about being killed by huge synthetics. At least, not the Reapers.

Garrus: Ha. You really think something else might happen which only we can stop?

Shepard: Hopefully, I'll be dead when it happens.

Garrus: You sound like Ashley.

Shepard: You've talked to her?

Garrus: Yeah, though now she's of higher rank than you. Even got an N-commendation.

Shepard: So much for me commanding the Normandy again.

Garrus: Would you really go back to the Normandy?

Shepard: I'm a soldier at heart, sure. But…the things we've been through…

Shepard begins to remember everything about the war. Kaidan's death, her own death, Thane's death…

_So many deaths… Maybe if I'd been faster…stronger… If I'd made the council listen to me…. Damn it…_

Noticing Shepard's gaze, he hit up an idea to make her feel better.

Garrus: Hmmm... I have an idea.

Shepard: When don't you?

Garrus: Think you can spend a day off work?

Shepard, now a retired soldier but desperate to help people rebuild, began working with the Alliance to help refugees and clearing up rubble. While the Alliance wanted to pay her, she did not want to paid for something she had to do.

Shepard: What for?

Garrus: It's a surprise...

Shepard shivered as he purred what he said. He knew that drove her insane. With a smirk, she agreed.

Shepard: Hmm. Alright. As long as it's a good one.

Garrus: You know they always are.

The family began to eat breakfast, yet Shepard could'nt erase her smirk from her face. Garrus always surprised her with something everyday. He always knew what to say or what to do. Frankly, it drove her mad, but that's just another reason why she loves him. After breakfast, Garrus cleaned up and told Shepard and the kids to stay put.

Garrus: You three should stay here while I go do something.

Selenus: Can I help you, daddy?

Alex: Yeah! I wanna help too!

Garrus thought about it, wondering if they would accidently spoiled the surprise for her.

Garus: Ummm, no.

Selenus: What?! But i wanna help!

Garrus: But then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore for you three-whoops!

Since Garrus only told Shepard told only Shepard about the suprise, he pretended he had just spilled the soup and told them.

Alex: Surprise?!

Garrus: Oh! I wasn't supposed to tell you! Well, still, you coming would only spoil the surprise. I won't take long.

And with that, Garrus turned and exited the apartment. Shepard couldn't help but laugh at all the times Garrus had surprised her with his "ideas."


End file.
